Home Publisher's Point of View Marriott Generated Biggest News During Busy Conference, Trade Show Week

Marriott Generated Biggest News During Busy Conference, Trade Show Week

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Last week was one of the biggest weeks of the year for our industry with the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS) in New York City. That event was followed by Greenbuild in Phoenix. I attended IH/M&RS but had to miss Greenbuild this year after attending in 2007 and 2008 in Chicago and Boston. As it turned out, I missed the biggest news announcement of the week: Marriott International announcing at Greenbuild that it will expand its green hotel portfolio by ten-fold over the next five years. (See article.) How will the company do that? It is rolling out a new pre-certified LEED Courtyard by Marriott prototype that will be available in April 2010. The Courtyard brand has a development pipeline of nearly 160 hotels worldwide.
The Courtyard Settler’s Ridge in Pittsburgh, scheduled to open in the summer of 2010, is the first being built based on the new green hotel prototype concept.

Also next year, Marriott expects to introduce similar green hotel prototypes for its Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites brands, which represent more than 290 hotels in Marriott’s pipeline worldwide. Marriott already has 50 hotels registered for LEED, with 15 open or set to open by the end of 2010.

Marriott’s decision to roll out green prototypes is a smart one and to be expected from a company with such a long history of environmental leadership. It will give the company a competitive edge from a development standpoint and ensure that the new hotels that are built operate efficiently from day one.

Announcement Location Speaks Volumes

While it made sense for Marriott to make its announcement at Greenbuild, given that it is the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) event, and USGBC operates the LEED program, the announcement just as easily could have been made at IH/M&RS. If Marriott’s announcement location decision is not indicative of the direction our industry is heading, I don’t know what is.

As impressive as Marriott’s Phoenix announcement was, so too was the volume of exhibitors at IH/M&RS that featured green products. (See related article.) What trends did I notice? An increasing number of companies are incorporating recycled/sustainable fibers in fabrics, pillows, linens and towels. Amenity companies are much more sensitive to issues such as product certification and bottle biodegradability. Key card-based guestroom energy management systems are becoming much more common. An increasing number of vendors are introducing products that help reduce the flow of waste in hotels—whether systems that eliminate plastic water bottles, reusable garment bags, mattresses with removable tops, or a machine that renovates/recycles pillows.

There were many hotel schools and universities in attendance. I learned from one university representative that her school intends to offer a degree in sustainable hospitality in the very near future. I also learned that one major brand may soon commit all of its owned hotels to one particular green certification program. Keep reading Green Lodging News for additional details on these two developments.

In talking with many IH/M&RS vendors, most had good things to say about the quality and volume of individuals stopping by their booths. That means there are indeed those out there ready to buy—good news for our industry. Yes, there were still those who complained about the year they have had. Interestingly, one of the companies had axed its marketing budget entirely. When will companies learn that it is when times get tough that good marketing is needed the most?

Kudos to the American Hotel & Lodging Assn., the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc., the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Assn., and GLM, a dmg world media business, for organizing this year’s successful IH/M&RS.

Upcoming Memphis, Orlando Events

I will be the keynote speaker at the West Tennessee Sustainable Tourism Workshop at the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, November 17, and will be on a panel focused on greenwashing at the Green Lodging & Hospitality Conference in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, December 9. For information on either of these events, give me a call at (440) 243-2055, or e-mail me at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

Have a Product You Would Like to Feature?

The Featured Product Spot in the Green Lodging News weekly e-mail newsletter is available December through March. Interested in having your product featured there? Call me at (440) 243-2055, or contact me by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. Additional ad spots are also available for the remainder of 2009. Both 2009 and 2010 media kits are available by request or by clicking here. Thank you to all of those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.

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As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

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